Telecoms.com

Earlier this week, operators and vendors banded together to launch an initiative targeted at promoting interoperability between network and communication testing tools and simplifying lab automation efforts.

The Network Test Automation Forum (NTAF), formed by BreakingPoint Systems, BT, Cisco, Empirix, Ericsson, EXFO, Fanfare Software, Ixia, JDSU, Spirent Communications, and Verizon, advocates a customer-centric, device-agnostic framework that reduces time, complexity, and cost of product test cycles. The ultimate aim is to move away from what the alliance calls “stand-alone and proprietary approaches to an open lab automation approach.”

The forum is asking test equipment vendors to collaborate with their customers to define an open and advanced automation framework, to facilitate multi-vendor technical architectures for test automation systems

“Our goal is to provide complete transparency in the Forum’s activities and ensure a level playing field for all members.” said Keith Kidd, president of NTAF.“